Aliyev is expected to hold talks with Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi, Foreign Minister Taro Aso, and have an audience with Emperor Akihito during the visit, which ends on March 10.
Discussions are expected to focus on Japanese financial aid to Azerbaijan and the development of political and economic ties between the two countries. Japan is an investor in a number of energy projects in Azerbaijan.
It will be the first trip to Tokyo by an Azerbaijani leader since Aliyev's father, the former President Heydar Aliyev, visited in 1998.
(ITAR-TASS)
Caspian Energy Special
For a complete archive of RFE/RL's coverage of energy issues in the Caspian Sea region and Russia, click here.
HOW MUCH OIL? The U.S. Energy Information Administration has estimated that the Caspian could hold between 17 billion and 33 billion barrels of proven oil. ("Proven reserves" are defined by energy experts to be 90 percent probable.) Other experts estimate the Caspian could hold "possible reserves" of up to 233 billion barrels of oil. ("Possible reserves" are considered to be 50 percent probable.) By comparison, Saudi Arabia has 261 billion barrels of oil and the United States 23 billion...(more)
See also:
Economic Forecast For 2006 Sees Growth, But Danger In Continued High Oil Prices
How Vast Are The Riches In The Caspian?
Experts Envision A Future Beyond Oil
